Lifting apparatus



Jan. 2, 1934. A, J. MICHELIN LIFTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l #wird J Jim/wz@ WLQMOW Cf Jan. 2, 1934. A. Jl MlcHELlN 1,942,114

LIFTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14. 1,931. ZVShQetS-Sheet 2 Patented `an. 2, 1934 PATENT ori-Ici:-

rLIFTING APPARATUS Andr Jules Michelin, Paris, France, assignor to Michelin et Cie., Clermont-Ferrand, France, a

corporation of France Applicationvlanuary 14, 1931, Serial No. 508,776,

` and in France March 7,' 1930 Claims. (Cl. 265-68) The present invention relates to improvements in lifting apparatus, and has for an object to provide in connection with a lifting apparatus a device for indicating the Weight of the load lifted.

The invention applies particularly, but not necessarily, to jacks used for raising automobiles or other vehicles and generally applied to the axles thereof. Y

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved device, the parts of which may be easily combined with a vehicle jack of any of the standard types.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved lifting apparatus, in which is combined a weight indicating device so arranged and constructed that the size of the device is not increased by the addition of the indicating device. In the application of the invention to vehicle jacks, it is essential to retain the small size of 2o the jack to allow it to be easily placed beneath the vehicle, and the invention has been made applicable to jacks with this problem in mind.

With the foregoing and other obg'ects in view, the invention will be more fully described here.e inafter and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto. l

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure l is a front elevation of animproved lifting apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical section taken along the line 2 2 or Figure 1. l

Figure 3 is a side elevation, with parts broken away and parts shown in section, showing a modified form of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, and for the present to Figures 1 and 2, 5 designates a cylindrical support `open at its bottom, where it is provided with the out-turned flange 5a. Resting upon this ange 5a is the lower end of 'a coil spring 6, which forms a part of a dynamcmeter. The coil spring 6 extends about d the cylindrical supportY 5 and rises above the upper closed end of the support. This spring is calculated for the maximum load to be raised. A hood or cap 7 restsupon the upper endvof the spring and may be removably or otherwise'secured thereto. Such hood is designed -for receiving the load, preferably in the center thereof. The hood supports the recording members of the` dynamometer, which indicate and record the deection or compression of the spring 6.

The support 5, at its upper closed end, is mounted upon the jack 4. The jack is of a well-known standard construction and is adapted to raise the support 5, spring 6 and cap or hood 7. `It is necessary to arrange the parts of the weight indicating device so that they will not in any way interfere with the working of the jack.' The jack is oper-` ated from the socket 2 by use of an extension handle or the like, and the arrangement of the added parts is such as not to in any way interfere with the operation of the member which lits into this socket 2.

Now the support 5 may be secured to the jack 4 in any suitable Way.

The support 5 carries a boss 9 at its upper por-1 tion for receiving thereon an end of the lever 8. There is a certain relative movement between the support 5 and the hood 7, due to thecompression of the spring 6 under load, and this relative `movement istransmitted with certain ampliiication by the lever 8 to a vertically reciprocating rack l0. The rack 10 engages with a pinion 11 on the shaft of the needle 12. A coil spring 16 beneath :the rack urges the same up- Wardly and forces the right end of the lever 8 against the boss 9. A volute spring 17 wound about the pinion shaft 11 places this pinion shaft under angular torque or pressure for the purpose of holding the teeth of the pinion-11 constantly against those of the rack l0, and preventing relative play between such teeth. A suitably graduateddial 14 is held in place by a ringv 15 forming. a part of a spider, the spider arms being indicated at 51 and connected to a central hub 52. A screw ring 13 acts to hold the spider in place. The hub 52 supports a pin 53 carrying the second needle 18 at its inner end and a milled knob 19 at its outer end for purposes of manipulation. In the knob is preferably a square or other non-circular socket to receive a load for the operation of the device from a distance.

Now the hood or cap 7 is preferably provided with an extension 21 conforming to the usual neck of ajack, and the extension 21 is adapted to receive the cap 2), whichy engages the axle or other part to be elevated.

Inlthe operation of the device, the jack is placed beneath a vehicle or of a load to be supported, and by turning the rod or mechanism which ts into the socket 2, the jack is elevated beneath the vehicle and later elevates such vehicle or load. In doing so, the load on the hood '7 compresses the spring 6, causing relatively down- Ward movement of the hood 7 upon the support 5. This relative movement causes thelever 8 to be rockedr and to push down upon the rack 10,

causing rotation of the pinion shaft l1 and needle 12. Consequently, the needle 12 is deflected over the dial 14. While the needle 12 is still in its deflected position, the companion needle 18 is angularly adjusted manually, so as to coincide directly with the load needle 12. When the jack is removed, of course, the needle 12 will be re stored to Zero position by the action of the spring 16, but the needle 18 will have retained its position and will show the weight registered for the load. In oase the dial 14 creeps out of position, such dial may be restored to proper position by unscrewing the ring 13 and then turning the spider 15 by hand, the spider being preferably afxed in some way to the dial 14.

Referring to Figure 3, a modification of the device involves fitting the jaci; with curved slippers or shoes 68, which enable it to be slipped easily and quickly under a car (when it is desired to estimate the weight of a oar or the weight carried by a car axle) in spite of any unevenness of the ground.

It will be obvious that various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts could be made, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details, except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is2 1. In a device of the character described, a jack, a cylindrical support coupled to move with the'jack and extending about the jack and having an outwardly extending flange at its lower part, a coil spring seated on said ilange and projecting above said support, a cap resting on said spring', a load receiving member on said cap, a plate depending from said cap, an indicating means carried by said plate and including an indicating shaft, an operating member for said shaft mounted within said plate, and a lever fulcrumed to the interior of said cap having one end engaging the jack and the other end engaging said operating member.

2. In a device of the character described, a jack, a substantially cylindrical support placed about said jack and moving upwardly therewith, said support having at its lower portion an external flange, a coil spring seated at its lower portion upon said ange, a cap resting upon the coil spring above said jack, load receiving means on said cap, a lever pivoted within said cap and having an end engaging said jack, a plate depending from said cap, indicator means carried by said plate and including an indicator shaft, a reciprocating operating member carried back of said plate in operative relation with the shaft and engaged at one end by the opposite end of said lever, and resilient means engaging the other end of said operating member.

3. In a device of the character described, a screw jack, a tubular support enclosing the upper portion of the jack and movable upwardly with the jack, a dynamometer spring surrounding said tubular support and supported at its lower end by said support, said spring extending at its upper end above said support, a cap resting on the upper end of said spring, weight-measuring means carried by said cap, and operating means arranged between the jack and said cap for operating said weight-measuring means.

4. In a device of the character described, a jack, a tubular support placed about said jack and secured to move therewith, a dynamometer spring enveloping said tubular support but out of contact with the side of the support and supported at its lower portion by the lower part of said support, a cap supported upon the upper part of the spring above said support, weightmeasuring means carried by said cap, and operating means disposed between the jack and said cap and operative upon the compression of said spring to actuate said weight-measuring means.

5. In a device of the character described, a screw jack having a movable part, a tubular support having a closed upper end engaged upon the movable part of the jack and extending about said jack, a dynamometer coil spring lying about but spaced from said tubular support and supported as to its lower part by a lower portion of said support, said spring extending upwardly above the closed end of the support, a cap resting upon the upper end of the spring, weight- ANDR JULES MICHELIN.

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